


1 J^ 
Adler^ Christojyher Columbus in Oriental literature, ccix 




20. Christopher Cohiiubus in Oriental literature, with special 
reference to the Iladisi Nev, or Tarikh Hind Gharby ; by Dr. 
Cyrus ■'Adler, of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. 

A brief abstract of Dr. Adler's paper is as follows : 

Christopher Columbus in Oriental literature, a subject of interest 
equally to students of Oriental literature and of American history, has 
been investigated by Mr. Henry Harrisse, to w1\om modern scholars are 
primarily indebted for the scientific investigation of all subjects having 
reference to Columbus and the early voyagers to America. His brief 
yet comprehensive article on this subject {Christoph Columbus im Ori- 
ent) appeared in the Centralhlatt fur Bibliothekwesen, vol. v. (1888), pp. 
133-138. After enumerating the references to Columbus in Hebrew lit- 
erature, Mr. Harrisse cites a Turkish work specially devoted to the 
new world. Its Turkish title is Hadisi Nev ' the new event,' to which 
is added an Arabic title, Tarikli el Hind Gharby ' history of West 
India.' It was printed at Constantinople by Ibrahim Effendi (the rene- 
gade). The printing was completed April 3, 1730, and the book is 
therefore one of the incunabula of the Ottoman press. Mr. Harrisse 
had access to the copy of this very rare work in the library of the 
Ecole des langues orientales vivavtes in Paris. He was of opinion that 
the work was composed by Hadji Khalfa. 

The article of Mr. Harrisse called forth some notes by Prof. J. Gilde- 
meister of Bonn (1. c. pp. 303-306), who pointed out that, if the book 
Hadisi Nev were written, as stated both by Mr. Harrisse and in the Cata- 
logue of the library of von Hammer, under the reign of Murad III., 
1574-95, it could not have been composed by Hadji Khalfa, who was not 
born earlier than 1600. 

No manuscript of the work was known to either of these writers, 



^1". ,^i 



ccx American Oriental Societi/\s Proceedin.f/s, April 1892. 

nor apparently to von Hammer. While in Constantinople in 1891, the 
writer secured a well written and well preserved manuscript of this 
interesting book. It is dated in the year 77. On folio 38b the author 
alludes to the Turkish Admiral Khair-ed-din, surnamed Barbarossa, 
as having " recently died." His death took place in 956 A. H. ; so that 
9 is apparently the figure to be prefixed to 77 : the date would accord- 
ingly be 977 A. H. : i. e., 1569-70 A. D. The manuscript contains 13 col- 
oi'ed illustrations of animals and plants of America, some of them exe- 
cuted with considerable fidelity. It also contains two diagrams and 
three colored maps. The map of the new world represents South 
America with fair accuracy, and is, in the opinion of Mr. Harrisse, in 
some respects unique. The maps in the manuscript are. of course, 
much older than those in the printed work. 

An inferior manuscript of the same work exists in the Library of the 
American Oriental Society, being very appropriately MS. No. 1. of the 
Society's collections. It was presented by Mr. J. P. Brown, Secretary 
and Dragoman of the U. S. Legation at Constantinople. Mr. Brown 
stated at the time, 1843 (Jr. Am. Or. Soc, vol. i., p. xxix), that "it was 
quite the first book ever i^rinted at Constantinople by the Turks. 

cannot learn the name of the author I am informed that the 

Tarikh Hind Oharhy existed in manuscript many years before the 
introduction of printing, but was taken up and printed on account of 
its popularity as a curious and amusing book." A copy of the printed 
work has been recently deposited in the Smithsonian Institution by the 
Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences of Savannah, Ga. I hope shortly 
to publish the maps and illustrations in my manuscript, as well as a 
translation of the parts relating to Columbus. 

21. Note on William B. Hodgson ; by Dr. Cyrus Adler. 

The U. S. National Museum has recently secured on deposit a part of 
the collection of the late William B. Hodgson, consisting of oriental 
books and manuscripts. The collections are now the property of the 
Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, of Savannah, Ga. 

Mr. Hodgson was one of the few Americans who gave serious atten- 
tion to Oriental studies at the beginning of this century. It is an inter- 
esting fact that his studies were promoted by the government. 

Already before the close of the last century the United States had a 
considerable commerce with the Mediterranean, and it was of the ut- 
most importance that our negotiations with the piratical Barbary States 
should be carefully conducted. The Department of State accordingly 
decided to appoint Mr. Hodgson as attache to the U. S. Consulate at 
Algiers, for the purpose of enabling him to become familiar with ori- 
ental languages. That this was the intention in Mr. Hodgson's appoint- 
ment is evidenced by the following extract from a letter dated Algiers, 
Jan. 1st, 1826, and addressed by Mr. Hodgson to Henry Clay, then Sec- 
retary of State : " The procurement of necessary books would have pre- 
sented some difficulty in the pi'osecution of my studies. Mr. Shaler has, 
however, furnished me with some elementary works, through his 



Adler, Note on William B. Hodgson. ccxi 

friends, the Consuls, until I can be better supplied from Paris. With 
these I have commenced the study of Arabic, and hope to make profi- 
ciency correspondent to my own wishes and the expectations of the 
President." Mr. Shaler. the Consul, writing to Henry Clay with refer- 
ence to Hodgson's arrival, said : " I am very much pleased to find that 
the government have at length determined to avail themselves of the 
great advantages offered by tlie Barbary Consulate for the instruction 
of young men, which must result in important benefits to the public 
service." Further on Mr. Shaler adds : " Perhaps it might be proper, Sir, 
at a later period, when Mr. Hodgson has made himself acquainted with 
the elements of the Turkish, to authorize me to send him into the Le- 
vant in order to acquire a familiar knowledge of it." 

That Mr. Hodgson profited by his opportunities as Mr. Shaler had 
predicted is shown by the fact that he was selected to serve as Secre- 
tary and Dragoman to the U. S. Legation at Constantinople, and later 
(in 1841) was nominated as Consul to Tunis. 

There can be little doubt that the policy which the United States ' 
Government pursued sixty years ago in the case of Mr. Hodgson, with 
the intention of preparing men for special service in the Orient, might 
be repeated at this day with advantage to the public service. 

Hand in hand with his usefulness as a public servant went Mr. 
Hodgson's development in Oriental scholarship. By 1830 we find him 
the possessor of a very considerable collection of Oriental manuscripts, 
the titles of which are recorded in "'A Catalogue of Arabic, Turkish, 
and Persian manuscripts, the private collection of Wm. B. Hodgson, 
Washington ; printed by Duff Green, 1830." A copy of this catalogue- 
now extremely rare— exists in the library of the American Oriental Soci- 
ety, having been presented by Hon. John Pickering, who himself re- 
ceived it from Wm. Shaler. In 1832, Mr. Hodgson published a memoir on 
the Berber language, and in the following year he translated parts of the 
New Testament into that language. He was one of the original members 
of the American Oriental Society, and in 1844 published " Notes on Nor- 
thern Africa, the Sahara, and the Soudan." The hall of the Georgia 
Historical Society is named in his honor Hodgson Hall. 



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